July 25th

July 25th -- Mark 9:38-50 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%209:38-50&version=NLT)

Please go read the passage!

I think that this is definitely the one of the clearer - and virtually impossible to try and negotiate - warnings against temptation that we can find in the Bible. It seems really graphic and harsh. Jesus compares getting rid of it to cutting off a foot/arm or gouging out your own eyes. That seems really extreme. It makes sense, though. Temptation is what leads us to sin. We don't really tend to sin without reason. It's not like we just wake up and go "Hm. You know what? I think I'll see how many times I can sin today" for no reason. The devil sneaks in with temptation, and that is what leads us away from God and into temptation. You're probably still thinking the comparison is really extreme. I'll be bluntly honest and say that I love the comparison. It's completely accurate. Eyes and feet and arms/hands have specific purposes. We each have different temptations and different things that cause us to feel tempted or to act on that temptation and sin.  We each have specific weaknesses like various body parts have different functions. Now, to remove any body part would hurt. It would also be exceptionally hard to do it to your self. I mean, we can't just sit down and chop off a hand then get up and walk away. Our brain tells us not to, because it knows it will hurt, and then if we were to do it we would be in excruciating pain. Our bodies would also have trouble compensating for the wound and blood loss. Removing temptation, like God wants us to, clearly, as best we can, is like this. It hurts, in a way. More accurately, it'll suck. Likely giving in to that temptation leads to satisfaction, so taking that away will be hard. Also, it's hard to do it to your self, much less on your own. Even if you recognize the need to, you may still find yourself unable because you so badly do not want to. Life will also have a weird way of feeling different if you take out a major area of temptation or sin. Other things may seem duller, or things may be harder to cope with. You will want to feel some sort of compensation for what you will likely see as a loss. Now, sometimes you can get rid of it and be glad for it, but that's not often. However, also like Jesus said, better to go to Heaven lacking something than Hell with everything. We are far better of to "lose out" in our Earthly lives by taking out temptation, than  to indulge here and spend eternity in Hell. Temptation is a hard battle, because it's hard to pull away from alluring things, and temptation obviously is or it would not be temptation. In the long run, though, removing it will grant you inexplicable and wonderful freedom.

That's all for today! God bless! Shalom!